How to Find the Best Voice Over Agency for Your Project

If you’re a small business owner, you know the struggle: how to compete with the large, deep-pocketed corporations that are your competitors.

Feeling like a smaller fish in a bigger pond can mean that you spend most of your working hours feeling like you’re shouting into the void. But there is a relatively simple and often overlooked way that you can sound just as professional and polished as the “big guys”, and that is by investing in a trusted voice over agency.

It doesn’t matter if you need a voice over for your explainer videos, social media ads or even just your telephone on-hold announcement, a good, solid voice talent will make you sound like a reliable, professional and trusted company.

Luckily for you, hiring a voice over is not something that is attainable only by the large corporate giants with access to six-figure marketing budgets. Small business voice over options are more affordable than you think.

Why an Agency is a Smart Move for a Busy Business Owner

Sure, you could just find a freelancer online. So why should you work with an agency instead?

It comes down to time vs. money. While a may seem slightly cheaper at first glance, it comes with an extra cost on your part. Your time. Time finding them, vetting them, sorting out contracts, chasing up deliverables and making sure the quality is there.

An agency takes care of all of that for you. So you get:

• Vetted Talent: They’ve done the work to find (and test) the highest quality professional voice talent.
• Quality Control: Working with pro studios and engineers, an agency ensures you’ll always get broadcast-quality audio. And if there are any technical issues, they’re caught and resolved before you even hear about it.
• Project Management: From audition to final file, they manage everything, so you can get back to working on your business.
• One Simple Invoice: With one invoice for all, you don’t need separate quotes or worry about the licensing.

For a busy business owner, working with an agency isn’t a cost — it’s an investment in predictable quality and more time.

Your Step-by-Step Guide to Voice Over Hiring

Ready to get started? Here’s a simple four-step process to help you hire voice-over services confidently:

Step 1: Define Your Project and Voice

Work out exactly what you’re looking for before you start Googling. Define your needs:

• Who is your audience?
• What do you want the voice-over style to convey: friendly, knowledgeable, experienced?
• Do you need a particular regional accent to appeal to your geographic base?

When you can clearly define what you need, the company you hire can match you with the best local voice-over talent for the job.

Step 2: Find and Shortlist Potential Agencies

Start with a search for voice-over services with a strong specialisation in your field. In this case, you’re looking for a voice-over agency’s website and you’ll be checking for useful information on their home and internal pages. You also need to look at their clients section, listen to the showreels of a huge artist pool and make sure they’re the real deal, with a wide array of experience to match their diverse roster.

But what should you be listening for? And how do you know it’s a variety? Well, you’re in luck. One of the sites that absolutely delivers on all the above is GoLocalise, and once you’ve spent a few minutes there, you’ll know exactly what the perfect UK voice services have to offer. You’ll then also be in a position where you can safely ensure the UK voice over you get is top drawer.

Step 3: Request Auditions (or ‘Casting’)

Most platforms will allow you to submit a little part of your script, and then they will come back to you with different artists’ “test reads” of it. Usually, this process will be at no cost. This is by far the best way to really get to know which voice will suit your brand the best.

Step 4: Understand the Quote

A quote for a voice over will generally look like this:

• Artist’s Fee/Basic Studio Fee(BSF): What the artist gets paid to actually produce the audio recording.
• Usage Rights: Where and how you can use that recording.

Good platforms will let you know this information and ensure that there are no hidden charges.

Key Things to Look for in the Best Voice Over Agencies

As a small business owner, here’s a simple checklist to evaluate your voice-over agency shortlist before you make your decision:

• Diverse Roster of Accents: Do they provide options that are right for your project? RP and various UK regional accents, like Scouse, Mancunian, and Scottish, can create stronger audience connections.
• Clear Communication: Are they polite, helpful,l and friendly? Are they keen to answer your questions?
• Transparent Pricing: How much will your project cost you? Are there any nasty surprises?
• Experience in Your Sector: Do they make voice-overs for small businesses or your particular sector (e-commerce, local services, etc)?
• Positive Testimonials: What do their clients think of their work? Are they mainly small business clients?

A great agency will bring these credentials to the table and assure you that they should go straight to the top of your shortlist.

A Quick Word on Budgeting

Price is always an issue, especially for SMEs. But think about professional voice over the way you do professional design or photography. It’s an investment in your brand’s quality and authenticity.

In practical terms, you can expect to pay a studio recording fee plus a usage fee. The price will depend on how much recording is needed, how long it’s required for and the experience of the voice artist.

It’s perfectly fine to let the agency know your budget. The best voice over agencies will be glad to find suitable options within your price range. They’ll help you choose the most cost-effective way to get the professional results your brand deserves.

Conclusion: Giving Your Business a Voice That Sells

You don’t need a massive budget to hire voice over services that make your business sound professional and polished. All you need is a clear process. Using an agency saves you time, ensures top-quality audio and helps you build trust with your customers. Now you have the roadmap to find a voice that truly represents your brand and connects with your customers.